Iran’s supreme leader advised the government last July not to rely on a European package to protect Tehran against US sanctions, after President Donald Trump withdrew from a nuclear deal and re-imposed penalties, a release of his speech shows. While President Hassan Rouhani was trying to save the nuclear deal with European powers, who remained committed despite the US exit in 2018, Khamenei was not optimistic about the efforts, Reuters said. The Europeans would naturally say they are protecting Iranian interests with their package “but [the Iranian government] should not make this a main issue,” Khamenei was quoted as saying by his official website.